Sony E infrared lenses.
16 lensesGood 6Maybe 8Bad 2
Use an adapter to mount these lenses to many mirrorless cameras.
Data credit: these ratings come from the remarkable research at irlensdb.com, a community-built resource that has tested and documented more infrared lenses than any other reference online. I have stripped the retailer links and reformatted the data, but the hard work of collecting it belongs to them.
Ratings describe how a lens behaves on an infrared-converted camera. A maybe lens is usually fine wide open and shows a hot spot as you stop down, so check the notes before you write one off.
Zooms (7)
Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di 111-A RXD
Maybe- Focal
- 11-20mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2.8
- Filter
- ⌀67mm
- Weight
- 335 g
11mm: Very mild hot spots from ƒ/9. 16mm: Very mild hot spots from ƒ/11. 20mm: Very mild hot spots from ƒ/11. Nathan D
Tamron 17-28mm F2.8 DI III RXD
Good- Focal
- 17-28mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2.8
- Filter
- ⌀67mm
- Weight
- 420 g
Sony E 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
Maybe- Focal
- 18-55mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/3.5-5.6
- Filter
- ⌀49mm
- Weight
- 214 g
Hot spots mild at ƒ/8+ -Miles
Tamron 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 DI III RXD
Good- Focal
- 28-200mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2.8-5.6
- Filter
- ⌀67mm
- Weight
- 575 g
Good up to ƒ/11, weak hot spots at ƒ/16 and above.
Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art
Bad- Focal
- 24-70mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2.8
- Filter
- ⌀82mm
- Weight
- 830 g
At 50mm, very slight hotspot at ƒ/2.8. Visible at ƒ/4. Really bad from ƒ/5.6 onwards.
Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM
Maybe- Focal
- 12-24mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2.8
- Filter
- n/a1
- Weight
- 847 g
Weak spot at ƒ/16
Tamron 17-70mm ƒ/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD (Model B070)
Maybe- Focal
- 17-70mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2.8
- Filter
- ⌀67mm
Hot spot starting at ƒ/5 and higher. Zahnd Alex
Primes (9)
Nisi 9mm F2.8
Good- Focal
- 9mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2.8
- Filter
- ⌀67mm
- Weight
- 364 g
No hot spots. Nathan Dent
Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G
Maybe- Focal
- 20mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/1.8
- Filter
- ⌀67mm
- Weight
- 373 g
Hot spots above f/4. Joe Scotto
Voigtländer 35 mm / 1:2.0 APO-Lanthar aspherical E
Good- Focal
- 35mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2
- Filter
- ⌀49mm
- Weight
- 352 g
A truly impressive performer. No meaningful hotspots at any aperture and the visible red / IR color phasing is tighter than my other lenses, making 550nm/590nm-filtered false color much more usable when there are high contrast elements at the frame edges. Michael Piantedosi
Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G
Maybe- Focal
- 40mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2.5
- Filter
- ⌀49mm
- Weight
- 173 g
No hotspot at ƒ/2.5. Hotspot visible from ƒ/4 onwards.
Voigtländer 50 mm / 1:2.0 APO-Lanthar E
Maybe- Focal
- 50mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2
- Filter
- ⌀49mm
- Weight
- 304 g
First report: 720nm B&W ok. Mild central hot spot (blue channel after white balance) by ƒ/6.3-ƒ/8. More evident with false color mixing. Second report: amazing no hotspot in IR from Pete.
Sigma 50mm F1.2 DG DN Art
Bad- Focal
- 50mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/1.2
- Filter
- ⌀72mm
- Weight
- 740 g
Slight hotspot visible already at ƒ/2. Really bad from ƒ/5.6 onwards.
Sony FE 50mm F1.8
Good- Focal
- 50mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/1.8
- Filter
- ⌀49mm
- Weight
- 186 g
Really good performance. Very slight hotspot appears at ƒ/8.
Sonnar FE 55mm F1.8 ZA ZEISS
Good- Focal
- 55mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/1.8
- Filter
- ⌀49mm
- Weight
- 281 g
No hot spots at any aperture. Best e-mount lens for Sony for infrared in my extensive experience. R Charles Curry Jr Confirmed great by Pete.
Lensbaby Sweet 80
Maybe- Focal
- 80mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2.8
- Filter
- ⌀46mm
Tested on a Sony A7R II with an 830nm filter and a 590nm filter. Mild hotspots at the smallest apertures. Stephen Sloan
Next step
Ready to shoot infrared on Sony E?
Links to Kolari Vision are affiliate links: if you buy through them the site earns a commission at no extra cost to you. They are the shop my own conversions and filters came from, and the recommendation would be the same without the program — full disclosure.
Links to Kolari Vision are affiliate links: if you buy through them the site earns a commission at no extra cost to you. They are the shop my own conversions and filters came from, and the recommendation would be the same without the program — full disclosure.
Other aps-c mounts
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Where this data comes from
These ratings are compiled from the community-maintained Infrared Lens Database, with contributor credits kept in the notes. Ratings are submitted by photographers using different conversions, so results vary by wavelength, aperture and individual lens copy — treat them as a strong starting point, not a guarantee. Retailer links from the source have been removed. If you have tested a lens, contribute your result back to the original database so everyone benefits.